Favorite Ingredient Friday - Pizza Edition (Dessert Pizza)

Dessert Pizza

• 1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sliced banana
• ½ cup sliced fresh strawberries
• ½ cup sliced kiwi
• ½ cup mandarin oranges

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Press cookie dough evenly into a giant cookie pan (or a 12” pizza pan).
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
4. Cool in pan on wire rack.
5. Mix together cream cheese and thawed cool whip and spread over the crust.
6. Arrange fruit in a decorative pattern.
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The first time I made this, I was in high school in a Nutrition class, since then - I have seen about 50 different variations, but they are all basically the same recipe. This is quick, easy and very versatile! You can use all different types of fruit – whatever your family likes, or whatever is in season. Think about using raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, honey dew melon, pineapple, and apples (to name a few). Use as many or as few different types of fruit as you like! You can even mix some fruit preserves into your cream cheese/cool whip mixture for some added flavor and color or you can sprinkle shredded coconut over the mixture, before you put your fruit on. There are so many ways to make this and all of them are delicious! Also, this is a great in-the-kitchen activity with your kids. Bake the cookie and cut up the fruit, and once it the cookie cools, you can let them do the rest! They will have a blast decorating and arranging the fruit.

I don't have a picture of my own, but I found this picture on line, to give you an example:

Beautiful and delicious! Does it get any better than that?